Jones Secures Medal at Olympic Games Tokyo 2020

TOKYO, JULY 30 - Welterweight Oshae Jones (Toledo, Ohio) continues to make history at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. After becoming the first female welterweight to represent Team USA in an Olympic Games, her 4-0 victory over Maria Moronta of the Dominican Republic secures her a medal to become to first female welterweight medalist for USA.

Jones put on an impressive performance in the

first and second round, taking all five judges’ cards to take the lead heading into the final round. The final round saw Jones opponent try to come from behind, landing a few more shots and earning the 3-2 decision for that round. However, the damage was already done in the first two rounds, leaving Jones victorious and advancing to the medal rounds. 

The 2019 Pan American Games Champion will return to the ring on Wednesday, August 4, for her semifinal matchup against the two-time World Championship silver medalists Hong Gu of China. 

Two more members of Team USA saw their Olympic tournament come to an end, lightweight Rashida Ellis (Lynn, Mass.) and Delante Johnson (Cleveland, Ohio). Ellis fell short against the 2018 Youth Olympic and Youth World Champion Caroline Dubois, while Johnson’s rematch with four-time Olympian Roniel Iglesias of Cuba was decided by an unanimous decision. 

Lightweight Keyshawn Davis (Norfolk, Va.) will be the lone American to take to the ring tomorrow during the first session of the day. Follow all the action, along with replays, news and more for USA Boxing in Tokyo here. 

Day 7 Results

60 kg: Caroline Dubois/GBR dec. over Rashida Ellis, Lynn, Mass./USA, 3-0

69 kg: Roniel Iglesias/CUB dec. over Delante Johnson, Cleveland, Ohio/USA, 5-0

69 kg: Oshae Jones, Toledo, Ohio/USA, dec. over Maria Moronta/DOM, 4-0

Oshae Jones Quotes

On being guaranteed a medal after two fights at Olympic Games Tokyo 2020:

“They were a couple of hard fights. I fought her at Pan Ams (Pan American Games Lima 2019), so I expected her to come hard at me looking for revenge.

“I’ve thought about winning a medal and had a vision of me standing on the podium. I practice my gold-medal speech every day, so I plan on winning.”

On escaping from a fire at her home in Toledo, Ohio in May 2021 after being warned by neighbors:

“I feel with the Olympics being postponed for another year, then me losing 60-80% of my things, it just added fuel to the fire, literally. I just kept pushing.

“We barely got out. We’ve got pretty noisy neighbors, thank god. Any other neighborhood, where people mind their business, I would be dead.

“The home is coming together again, slowly but surely. I had to get a whole new roof and inside drywall, wiring. It’s a lot, but I keep pushing every day.

“My boyfriend and I had purchased it. It was a fixer-up and we were almost done. Now we’ve had to start over.

“It’s always in the back of my mind when I am at camp: what I am going to go home to, is the house going to be done? All I can do is give my best here.”

On her victory dance:

“It’s just a celebration of me giving it my all. I know I won’t celebrate until the gold-medal round, but it’s just to give the crowd something and anyone watching. It’s just a freestyle I do every day. I practice it in front of a mirror.

“If you poke your tongue out, that means you’re doing it hard. If you make an ugly face, you’re doing it good. If you’re cute, you’re not doing it right.”